Drone trap



y 1952 I J. WINKLBAUER 2,602,940

DRONE TRAP Original Filed Nov. 8, 1947 INVENTOR. JOSEPH WIN K LBAUER.

Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .2

i 2,602,940 I Y o.

I DRONE TRAP Joseph Winklbauer, Willoughby, Ohio Substituted for'application Serial No. 784,810,

November 8, 1947.

This application August 17, 1949, Serial No.110,806 4 2 Claims. (01. 64)

This invention relates to the art of beekeeping and more particularly to the segregation and trapping of drones and queens and the exclusion of drones from hives. The invention is more particularly directed to a trap which will trap drones and queens either entering or leaving a hive. 1

As is well known, drone bees are usually produced in much greater numbers than needed, and, since the drones produce no honey, but eat a great deal of it, efficient beekeeping requires the elimination of the greater portion of drones.

It is also important that when a swarm occurs the queen be controlled, so that the swarm will not escape and may be installed in a new hive according to the desires of the apiarist.

In view of these facts, traps for drones and 7 queen bees have been hitherto proposed, which depend for their action upon the fact that drones and queens are much larger than worker bees. By virtue of this fact a trap may be placed at the entrance to a hive, the trap including a bypass provided with openings small enough to permit free passage of the workers,,but impassable for the drones and queens, which are diverted into the trap.

So far as I am aware, such previously known traps have been effective only to trap drones and queens emerging from the hive and to exclude visiting drones from the hive.

My invention provides a device which is effective not only to exclude, but also to trap visiting drones. Since it is customary for drone bees to travel from hive to hive the invention presents the very great advantage that a trap placed on one of a number of hives is effective to trap drones from all the hives.

In addition to this primary advantage, the trap, according to the invention, presentsothcr improvements and advantages over traps previously known to me in that it is arranged so that the visiting drones quickly pass into the trap and thus do not impede the access of the workers to the hive. Moreover, the trap is very easy to empty of the entrapped drones.

The objects of the invention will be apparent from what has been stated, and the preferred manner of attaining these objects will be clear to those skilled in the art from the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in this specification and in the appended drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the trap according to the invention with parts cut away; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 .is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 hive to which it is attached in use.

' in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4

2 s is a detail sectional view taken on the plane 4-4 indicated in Fig. 3.

The drawings illustrate the trap to a somewhat reduced scale, the overall length of. the trap being preferably the same as the width of the The trap is shown mounted on a hive in Figs. 2 and 3, in which a fragmentary part of the hive is shown comprising portions of the frontwall II, a side wall l2,.and abottom or floor [3 which projects beyond the front wall to constitute a landing board for the bees. The front board is cut away across most of the width of the hive to provide an entrance gate I l.

While-the tray may be made from any suitable material, conveniently the principal frame memhere of the hive are of wood and comprise end plates 2| and 2!, a bottom board 22 which p 70" jects outwardly beyond the end plates to.'con stitute a landing board portion 23, and front and rear frame members 24 and 25, respectively, joining the end plates. These frame members may be secured together by nails or in any other suitable manner.

The frame members 2! and 21' and 25 rest against the front board ll of the hive and the trap is supported by engagement of the side plates 2! and 2| withthe landing board of the hive. The lower cross member'23 constitutes an extension of this landing board. The trap may be retained in any conventional manner, preferably by a hook 21 pivoted to eachof the end plates engaging in a screw eye 28 screwed into the hive.

The normal route for worker bees through the trap lies between the front board 24 and the bottom board 22 and through the hive entrance I Hi. This entrance is obstructed by a barrier 29 ,composed of wires 3| held in accurate spaced relation by transverse bars 32. The specific mode of fabrication of the grid 29 is immaterial to the invention. The wires may be passed through holes drilled in the spacer bars. It is important, of course, that the width of the space between the adjacent bars 3! be accurately controlled so that the spacing is sufficient for worker bees, but too small to allow passage of the larger drones and queens. I have found a spacing of threesixteenths of an inch suitable. The round surface of the wires Si is believed to be desirable as opposed to any structure presenting a sharp or angular surface. The barrier 29 extends from the bottom board 22 approximately to the level of the lower edges of the front and rear crossmembers.

, dihedral 46.

The space between the members 24 and 25 constitutes the trap portion of the device, enclosed at the top by a grid 34, which may be of the same type of construction as the barrier 29, and which is preferably hinged to the rear frame member 25 as by staples 36 so that the top may be opened to clean. out. the trap.

Thefront o1- the trap aboveethe'member'fl is likewise enclosed preferably by a grid 31 which may be 01' a character similar to the grids ,29

and 34. The upper part of the trap should'be largely open to admit light and air so thatlthe bees to be trapped will ascend intothetrap, and the interstices must be sufficiently large-tapermit ready escape of worker bees.-:which.may happen to enter the trap; The; upper closure.

member 34 may be held closed in any conventional manner as by a simple spring catch 38 engaging the bars of the front grid 31.

.The ends of the grids 29 and 31 may be received ingrooves- 4|" and? Win the. end' plates.

The bottom oi-the, trap chamber-is constituted by. a rectangle ofgwire'screeningor the like 43 folded" to:form a front" dihedral and a rear The, front and rear edges" ot'the screen 43 are se'curedito the lower-edges of -'the front and rear'cross members in any conventional manner, as by tacks 4l sothat the screen 43 closesfthebottom of the trap; Thecentral angle 01;. the screenis flxedtothetop'or the grid 29. whichmay. be effected by laying a-wire 48in the gl'Ooye andtying. itjto the grid 32; as by'wire 49. The top edges'oi the screen" 4.3" are pierced at numerous points to provide entrances fit into.

the,.-trap; 'Thismaybe enacted. by simply-spreadinsthd'wires withasharp instrument. to provide holes. silfificiently large .ior. the passage. of'd'rones and'jq leens.

The, openingsmay be approximately threeeighths ofja'n. inch indiameter'and' are preferably relatively numerous,,being spaced about 1% to 1.. /2;inchesapart.

The principle of operation of the trap is pwell understood. The bees. which are unable to pass.

' facility.

If,.desired, a clean-outopening 56 maybe providedirr. either end.. wall or thetrap closed'by plate STJpivotedJjon. a. screw. '58. It will'generally be.preierred,-howeyer, to open the top to clean theftrap.

Drones. andlqueenscaught inthe trap may, of QQ111'.e,. beremoved at the pleasure of'the beevided' into-.anupper section and a lower section,

the..-low.er.-. section: defining a passage into the hive.aeni;rance,1,a barrier formed with openings large enough for passage of worker bees but too small for passage oi drones and queens disposed across the passage, means on both sides of the barrier' comprisingza screen extending betweenthe-sections attached to the barrier. and having-openings therein on either side. of the barrier providing access from. the lower section to the upper sectionfor drone and queen. bees, adapted to prevent return movement thereof, the upper section constituting a trap for drones and queens.

2. -A drone trap adapted for attachment against the entrance of a. beehive,xthe trap comprising a generally box-like structure,. a partition dividing the trap into an upper; section anda: lowersection, the lower section. defining; a passage. into thehive entrance; a barrier formed with openings large enough forpassage'of worker. bees but too small forpassageof drones and queensdisposed across the passage, means. in. the. partition on both sides of the barrierproviding access from the lower section to the uppersectioniordrone and queen bees, adapted to; prevent return movementthereoi, the. upper section constituting a trap for drones and queens and being provided with openings for entrance. otlightandescape of workerbees.

J OSEPHJ WINKLBAUER.

REFERENCES; CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

